What are Plutinos?

The Kuiper Belt and Beyond
Read more fromChapter The Solar System

Plutinos are Kuiper Belt Objects that are smaller than Pluto, have many physical characteristics similar to Pluto, and orbit around the Sun in much the same way that Pluto does. The discovery of Plutinos led to the recognition that the Kuiper Belt is heavily populated, and that Pluto itself is a Kuiper Belt Object.